TVD: My Version of S3
by avid.writer1010
Summary: My version of how I think Season 3 will play out. Based on the spoilers being posted out about S3. Starts from Elena's birthday party.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own The Vampire Diaries, no copyright infringement is intended. **

Elena sighed as she sat at her dressing table with earrings in her hand. They had been picked out and arranged by Caroline and Bonnie- just like her dress had and her necklace, and well the whole party to be honest. Elena had no intention of celebrating her birthday, especially after losing so many people she had loved, but they had insisted.

'_Elena we know how hard it's been for you but you need to move on. You need to let yourself live again' cried Caroline the week before when her idea of a birthday party was rejected. _

'_I can't Car, I just can't. A party now? It would just seem wrong' Elena had replied as she glowered into the distance._

'_Elena don't have one for yourself. Have it for the rest of us- we all need a break and some fun. Look at Alaric, he's been depressed ever since…' faltered Bonnie as she looked pleadingly at Caroline for help._

'_Bonnie's right about that. Think about Jeremy- he hasn't been himself lately. Elena, you don't want him going into one of his 'phases' do you? He's taking all this much harder than you are. And you're the only one that can help him. We need something to tell us all that everything is alright and that we will get through this' spoke Caroline, much to Bonnie's relief. _

_Elena considered all that was said before shakily murmuring agreement to the idea of a party. _

_Caroline beamed and turned to Bonnie, 'Great! Don't worry about a thing Elena- me and Bonnie will handle it. Um… we'll only have a few close friends…. Jeremy and Alaric and Tyler of course….We'll see if we can get any others… but probably not on such short notice…. Hmmm and oh we have to invite Damon', spoke Caroline animatedly. _

And that was how the idea of a party came out. Elena was not excited for it- she couldn't have cared less for it, but she had put a fake mask of happiness and enthusiasm whenever asked about it. She had to for everyone, so that they could all get on with their lives.

Elena groaned as she snapped out of her reverie and thoughts of Damon came to her. Since that night, the one where they thought he would die, things had changed between them. Sure they talked, but it wasn't the same as before. They had of course never talked about the kiss, it was a taboo topic between them, but for that matter they hadn't mentioned that night once to each other really. When they did meet, they would strictly talk of Stefan and where they could find him and would ponder about what the hell happened to him.

And then there was Stefan. Not one day went by where she wouldn't think about him. She missed him and ached for him more and more each day. She loved him and missed him, but at certain times she felt certain other emotions for him. Anger- for leaving her at a time when she needed him. Sadness- for never being able to give a proper goodbye. But mostly despair, due to the fact that she perhaps would never see him again and also that she had no idea of what condition he would be in if she ever did find him.

She wished for her parents more than ever- for her father to hug her and her mother to stroke her hair again and advise her on what to do. She thought of Isobel sometimes too and even John. Sure they were horrible to her for the most part, but even they themselves died for her. Elena didn't think about Jenna, she avoided that entirely, at this stage thinking about Jenna would have been too much for her to handle.

'Elena! Everyone's here' called out Jeremy from downstairs, breaking Elena from her thoughts. Elena checked herself in the mirror before placing a fake smile on her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes.

She got up and made her way down to her friends and family. Everyone _was_ there. Bonnie was smiling easily at her with a present in her hand. Jeremy was next to her, with a forced grin plastered on his face. _Jeremy had been acting strange lately but Elena hadn't quite talked to Bonnie about that yet. It would have to wait till later. _Caroline rushed over and hugged Elena whilst dragging Tyler over with her. Elena and him broke into laughter over Caroline's antics. Alaric was seated in the corner with a drink in his hand. Damon had been talking to him but at Elena's arrival he turned to her. Their eyes met searchingly before they both smiled at each other. It was the first real smile from Elena for a long time.

Suddenly a tall brunette made her way over to Damon, planting a kiss on his cheek. Elena recognised her as Andie Starr. _'When had they started dating? Was she even invited to this thing?'_ thought Elena irritably.

Elena went around and mingled with the guests, before Andie finally came up to her.

'Elena? Hi, happy birthday! I'm very sorry about Jenna….oh sorry I shouldn't have mentioned that…' spoke Andie as Elena's face drooped.

'Um sorry, I have to go…' Elena muttered before making her way to the door. The breeze outside was calming but did nothing to relax Elena. She was flooded with thoughts that she had worked hard to avoid thinking about.

'Where was Jenna? Where was Stefan? They should have been here with her… They should never have left her! Where was her family?' thought Elena with tears forming in her eyes.

She was pacing across the porch, when she accidently kicked over something. Curious, she bent over and picked it up. It was a present, wrapped neatly, with 'Elena' written on its tag. She opened it up, only to find a folded piece of paper. Reading it, she gasped out loud.

At that moment Damon walked out with a worried expression, 'Elena are you alright? Andie told me what happened… Wait what's wrong? '.

Wordlessly Elena handed him the paper with a frightened look.

Damon read it and looked up at Elena, his mouth hanging open.

'Because I owe you one, I'll tell you this:

Stefan is back to his old ways.

There's no point trying to find him now.

Rippers after all don't want to be 'saved' do they?'


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own The Vampire Diaries **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! All your support meant a lot to me :) This chapter took a lot longer to write than I expected but hopefully the next chapters will come up sooner. **

(Elena POV)

_Stefan a ripper? But… no he couldn't be… Sweet, caring Stefan as a ruthless monster? My Stefan not being my Stefan anymore? I have to go save him… from himself! But where is he? By this time he and Klaus might be halfway around the world… There has to be some way to find him… But even then…. The last time Stefan couldn't control himself with human blood was disastrous… And that must have been nothing compared to now… _

'Elena? Elena! Answer me!' spoke a distressed voice, breaking my thoughts. Damon. I shifted myself to find I was in his arms. I must have passed out or something- my mind was fuzzy over what had happened over the last few minutes.

I promptly got up and went inside, ignoring his questions; this party had to finish NOW. What was the point of it anyway? We all would never get a break from all the drama and hardship. This party was wrong and it shouldn't have happened in the first place. There was no point in trying to move on- life would just keep more and more obstacles in your path if you even attempted to do so.

I felt like I was a storm, like I was a burning fire that just couldn't find peace. I felt like throwing away the cake that Caroline and Bonnie had spent hours making. I felt like ripping off each and every decoration put up around the house. I felt like shredding all the presents that I was still yet to receive because it wasn't what I wanted. All I wanted was Jenna in the kitchen cooking some disaster again, my parents- ALL of them- chatting around with everyone and getting into arguments over some frivolous matter, and Stefan with me brooding- no _thinking_- over some little minute matter like he used to.

I wasn't sure about what exactly I had planned to do once inside, my only thought being that I _had_ to do something. As I was about to make my way into the living room, I was slammed into a wall. Damon. Again.

'Listen Elena I know your upset, but don't do something you'll regret' he spoke as he pinned my wrists either side of me.

'Yeah like you know all about not making rash decisions' I gritted out while I struggled to break free.

His eyes flashed in surprise at my anger, 'Elena I know. I know- it's Stefan… But just calm down… ', his eyes softened and a look of understanding passed in them that reached me better than any of his words.

I slumped down and a feeling of despair filled inside of me. Damon released my wrists but kept his hands firmly on the wall either side of me. We stayed like that for a few moments, our eyes locked with each other, not a sound between us except our breathing. Laughter from the other room soon brought us back to ourselves though.

'What now?' I asked him, feeling the strength drained out of me.

'I wouldn't mention anything now, but it's up to you on what you want to do' he answered simply, as he walked into the living room stiffly.

I was soon at the door of the living room myself, watching the scene but not quite feeling part of it.

Jeremy was on the couch talking animatedly to Tyler. He seemed to be happy and relaxed for a change- something he didn't seem to be often these days. Tyler's attention moved to Caroline as she came back in to the living room from the kitchen with some more drinks. There seemed to be something going on between them these days but they weren't quite 'together' yet for some reason. Caroline was beaming- like always- as she handed the drinks out. Nothing fazed her and at this stage things were working out well for her. Alaric was now talking with Damon, who had Andie plastered by his side. I frowned a little at this before realising that Alaric didn't have a drink in his hand for once. He had discarded it early on in the party- normally he would have a hip flask on him at all times.

How could I spoil this moment? Where everyone was finally relaxing? I couldn't tell them about Stefan now. Damon was right I realised, as I mouthed out a 'thankyou' to him for stopping me from creating a scene here. Once again he momentarily looked surprised at the gesture, but in a flash that look passed, replaced by his normal indifferent expression.

'Hey Elena- everything fine?' asked Bonnie who had just sprung out of nowhere much to my shock, 'you look worried…'

She spoke a little too loudly and I soon felt everyone's gaze on me. I looked into her kind deep eyes, tempted to tell her about Stefan, just like I had all my secrets when I was growing up. She would know what to say, what to do then.

Instead I answered in a fake cheery tone, 'Of course I'm not fine- I haven't even had any of my cake yet!'

At the mention of 'cake' Caroline gasped, and flew into the kitchen, muttering something about icing. Bonnie soon shrugged and followed her to see to the cake. All the guys were soon distracted by the clanks and clinks coming from the kitchen.

Seeing that everyone else was busy, I made my way over to Alaric's discarded drink and gulped it down in one shot. I would need to be a little drunk to make it through the night. I then made my way over to the drink tables and picked out a bottle before drinking it all down as well. I was just about to take one more drink when Caroline rushed in and crushed me in a hug as she broke down into sobs. Oh god. She knew. But how? Damon couldn't have told her, and the note had been firmly placed in my pocket earlier. Did she hear us talking?

'I'm so sorry Elena! This is my entire fault' she choked out between sniffles.

'No Caroline its not- of course it isn't! Why would you think-?'

'Yes it is- the cake! I thought it would have been perfect! But the icing! I forgot all about it! I'm so sorry'

I broke the embrace and looked at her oddly- she was upset over… _Cake?_ I laughed out loud. I laughed at just how ridiculous it was that she was crying over such a small matter. If the cake splattered all over the floor I still wouldn't care about it and here she was crying over icing. Soon I had tears in my eyes from guffawing so much. Everyone stared at me strangely until suddenly Car started laughing with me too, soon everyone was roaring with laughter.

It was such an absurd moment- I felt like I was in some kind of alternate universe. Moments like these didn't happen between us all- well light hearted moments were rare ever since all the supernatural drama started. I suppose now everyone thought the drama was over. After all those months of almost constant conflict and attacks, we were now in a lull of action, which everyone assumed meant it was all over. Klaus, the Originals and Katherine were all gone- for good we hoped- and so everyone else took this as another sign that it all had finished. They had all wondered about Stefan but by now most had assumed he wouldn't be back wherever he was- Damon and I hadn't reveal much of the already scant information we knew about Stefan's fate to the others. Yet.

I was the only one however, perhaps with the exception of Damon, who knew the truth. This was just a break for us all- I was sure that some new trouble was just waiting to pop up- after all this was Mystic Falls.

No one knew why I was still so guarded, so unable to relax, but they could never understand. Damon perhaps could, but I hadn't reached out to him for help. I wanted to talk to him, but lately I couldn't stand to be around him. I reacted strangely when we talked and spending too much time with him always brought back memories of _that night_.

A sense of loneliness crept up on me as I realised that I was the only one unable to move on with my life, the only one who just couldn't let go. I suddenly couldn't stand to be with everyone, especially with them all being so _normal_ and almost_…. Happy_.

The doorbell rang, much to my relief. I raced to the door and opened it, to find a small girl. She actually was around my height but somehow she appeared like a small child. I was struck by her large eyes and angelic looking face.

'Hi Elena! Don't you remember me? I'm the new girl at school; I'm in your history class. Tyler invited me to the party... Can I come in?' She asked, with a voice that matched her innocent looking face.

'Yeah sure' I answered, distracted as I tried to remember her from class. _What was her name again? Bridget? Beth? Bella? _

She smiled and followed me inside as I suddenly remembered her name. Becky.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own The Vampire Diaries. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Ok so the party has dragged on for longer than I had originally expected, but it will finish it in this chapter. I know I know I said this chapter would come up sooner but school has been really really hectic these days. I'm not too happy this chapter but it will have to do. TVD comes back soon: D **

_A few days earlier…_

A tall redhead was running urgently across the streets, her hands entwined with a small boy, who was also running as fast as he could. The lamplights flickered, uninterested in the terrifying scene before them. The weather was icy and unwelcoming to the siblings. They shouldn't have been out at this time of night, but the vampire scrutinising them wasn't thinking about that.

Instead he was focusing on their heartbeats, which were thudding much to his delight. He was running at human pace after them, revelling in their fear. It _was_ the hunt that made it all the more worthwhile, right?

The small boy suddenly tripped and the redhead soon stopped to help him up. The vampire sped up to them with his fangs bared out menacingly.

'Please just take me, not my brother!' The girl screamed out as her brother clutched her arm firmly. She moved her brother behind her protectively as the vampire took long strides towards them.

The vampire paused and tilted his head to the side, as if he was considering what she said.

'No… I think I'll just kill you both' snarled the vampire with a wild look in his eyes, as he shoved the boy away from the girl and drained her dry.

He turned to the little boy, who was shaking with horror. He rushed over and grabbed hold of his shoulders, lifting him and bringing him closer to his face. The boy's neck was small and he didn't look very appetising but blood was blood. The vampire was about to bite the small boy until he looked into his eyes. Into piercing blue eyes that is.

Something flashed into the vampire's mind, bewildering his mind, enough for the boy to escape his grasp. The boy hastily started to run before another vampire grabbed him and snapped his neck.

'What is this, Stefan? A waste of a good meal?' Klaus asked the still befuddled vampire with a slight sneer in his voice.

Stefan brought himself back to the scene instantly, and answered Klaus coolly, 'that trivial boy meant nothing to me. _That_ girl on the other hand was very tasty'.

The rage in Klaus subsided as he took in what Stefan said, 'hmm yes one should only expect the best for their meals… But still Stefan I'm not sure if your loyalties are totally with me… I believe it's time for them to be tested out' spoke Klaus with a sly grin.

Stefan looked up with a wary expression, '… and what do you have in mind?'

Klaus answered with an indifferent air, 'I hear Mystic Falls is a good place to visit at this time of year'.

The party was reaching a close and for Elena it was passing like a blur.

'_Must be the alcohol, about time it had an effect too'_ Elena mused silently. She did feel a little drunk, but not too much that anyone would notice.

Things had taken a turn after Becky had arrived. Her presence did seem strange at first, but soon everyone liked her for her wholesome and pure demeanour. Elena had later found out that Tyler had invited her after Caroline told her that the party lacked numbers. Becky was more than happy to come, even on such short notice.

Everything was going well until Elena's eyes moved to Caroline. She was smiling and acting cheerful, but Elena knew the look on her face all too well. Beneath her façade, Elena could easily recognise that Caroline was upset. Elena scanned the room until her eyes rested on Becky again. Becky and Tyler to be exact. They were sitting dangerously close and Becky even had her arm around his shoulder. She was giggling and whispering something in Tyler's ear.

Caroline suddenly jumped up and dashed to the kitchen. Elena examined Tyler and Becky again, studying their faces this time. Tyler's face sank as Caroline left the room and Becky didn't look at all interested in Tyler if one studied her close enough. Elena sighed and got up wordlessly, following Caroline into the kitchen.

Caroline's arms rested on the table top while she stared into nothingness; her thoughts so deep that they were unbroken when Elena entered the room.

'You don't have to worry about her you know' Elena murmured quietly.

Caroline was surprised by the look of understanding from Elena, but then returned to her normal air. They remained in silence before Caroline suddenly looked up at Elena, uncertainty written plainly on her face.

'Its not just…. Today….. that she's been bothering me' breathed out Caroline.

Elena furrowed her eyebrows, 'what do you mean? At school she's with _him_ too?'

'No… I mean…. She kind of freaked me out the other day…. I mean I don't even know for sure if she meant it…. But she creeps me out…. Not that anyone else thinks so…. I mean-' blabbered Caroline, before Elena gave her a stern look.

'…. It was on the first day of school... I ran into her….. I introduced myself… She said she already knew who I was… and that…. She wanted to take away everything I've worked for…. Because she_….. could just do that'._

'Wait what? Becky? She seemed so innocent out there!' burst out Elena, appalled by hearing this.

'Listen, don't tell anyone, ok? I'm sure it was nothing …. If anything happens I'll tell you' spoke Caroline, almost pleading.

Elena sighed, 'Well ok… but you have to tell me and Bonnie if something like this happens again… and maybe even Tyler too…. Just be careful Car'.

'Don't worry I will' said Caroline with a small smile, relieved to have gotten that off her shoulders.

'So… how come Matt isn't here?' asked Elena casually, eager to change the subject to a more neutral one.

'Matt?' Caroline scoffed, 'he said he doesn't want to involve himself with all this "supernatural drama" ', she said with air quotation marks.

'How are things with you and Tyler then…. Now that Matt's out of the picture?' asked Elena with a sly smile.

'Good, we're still in the "friends zone"….' Answered Caroline with a sigh, forgetting she had an audience, and blushing furiously when she remembered Elena.

Elena smirked at Caroline, just as Bonnie walked in.

'Hey what am I missing out on?' asked Bonnie, looking between a smug Elena and a flustered Caroline.

'Nothing' murmured Caroline as she bolted out of the room.

Bonnie and Elena were soon overcome from a fit of laughter after Elena told her the story. Soon silence broke between them, before Elena hesitantly brought up something that had been on her mind for some days now.

'Bonnie, have you noticed anything different about Jer lately?' broached Elena.

'You noticed too? I thought I was the only one' whispered Bonnie.

'I don't know what's wrong with him… I know everything has been so tough on him lately but I'm afraid with the way he's coping with all this'.

Bonnie paused before answering, 'He always seems so distracted these days. And he talks to himself sometimes when he thinks I'm not paying attention to him… you don't think he's back on drugs, do you?'

'I hope not but I think we both need to keep a close eye on him. It's about time I talked to him about how he's coping with everything. ' spoke Elena resolutely.

'Hmm… I wonder if this has something to do with when I brought him back to life… The witches were saying something but I didn't think-' began Bonnie before someone entered the room. Becky.

'I think I'll head home now. I had a great time' spoke Becky with a grin.

They made their way back to the living room where everyone was standing around and talking.

'Tyler? Mind giving me a ride?' asked Becky with a small pout.

'Yeah sure' spoke Tyler, as Becky grabbed his arm and dragged him out to his car.

'Ugh she looks like a needy girlfriend' said Caroline to Bonnie and Elena after Becky left. Elena and Bonnie shared a look with a teasing smile on their lips.

Caroline seeing it spoke out quickly, 'Don't even think about it! I think I'll just go home too' as she too rushed out outside.

'Oh wait Car's meant to be driving me home; I'm gonna have to go now too then' said Bonnie awkwardly as she hugged Elena and made her way out.

Alaric was already asleep on the couch- he would end up staying at the house most nights anyway.

This only left Elena, Damon and Andie in the room. Elena felt strangely awkward as she looked around for Jeremy who has suddenly disappeared. He had been doing that a lot these days.

'Damon I'm feeling tired too! Let's go home' spoke Andie in a way that reminded Elena of how Becky talked to Tyler that night.

Andie gave Damon a quick peck before heading out to his car.

'Well… then I guess I'll just see you around' spoke Elena awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. They made small talk before he left too.

Elena sighed as she made her way upstairs. She paused at Jeremy's door as she heard his muffled voice inside. Elena could only make out the words 'What do you all want?', ' Just leave me alone!' and 'I don't want you here!' properly from inside the room. She frowned. Of course there was no one on his room. '_It must be the drugs again'_ she mused with a disappointed air. She would really need to have a talk with Jeremy- but only when the time would be right.

She slipped into her room, to find Damon casually leaning across her bed, making her jump slightly.

'What are you doing here? I thought you left- _with Andie_' spoke Elena, her voice coming out much harsher than she expected it to be.

'I was leaving but I forgot to give you my present for you' he spoke as he made his way over to her.

'I asked for no gifts Damon' said Elena with a sigh; he simply brought a finger to his lips, ushering her to keep quiet. He steered her across to her mirror before sweeping her hair to the side. Before she could protest he slipped something onto her neck.

'Is that…?' she asked, turning to him with tears forming in her eyes. He nodded and before she could think better of it, she enveloped him in a hug.

'Thank you so much' she breathed out. He only gave her a rare genuine smile of his before leaving for real this time.

She felt a smile playing on her lips as she toyed with the chain on her neck. The chain holding her vervain necklace. She had thought she would never see it again after it had been taken away from her.

She picked up her phone and texted Damon about something she was finally ready to face.

'It's time we tell everyone about Stefan'

Damon was making his way back to the boarding house when it happened. He had just dropped Andie off, despite her protests about going back to _her_ own house. He was suddenly tackled to the ground when he heard a sneer coming from his attacker.

'Miss me, brother?'


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Stefan is a bit OOC in this chapter but I've decided to go in this direction for his ripper persona. It would be great if you guys would tell me what you'd like to see more or less of in this story, or any suggestions to improve it. TVD comes out in less than a week! I hope you all will still tune in to this fanfic even after S3 starts… Anyway, enjoy chapter 4! **

Damon quickly recovered himself as Stefan lunged at him again. Damon dodged it easily this time as a sense of déjà vu came over him. _Hadn't they had a fight similar to this a year ago? After they met each other the first time in fifteen years?_ Damon's thoughts were broken when Stefan growled and made his way towards him at an even pace. There was something different about Stefan. He looked the same but he appeared livid, more crazed. His eyes were bloodshot and dried blood was smeared across his face. Damon quirked a brow.

'Off the bambi diet, eh?' he said, trying to ease the tension between them.

Stefan smirked uncharacteristically, 'I guess I've seen the light', he said with gritted teeth.

It wasn't as if Damon hadn't dealt with this kind of Stefan before. Damon checked up on Stefan every few years or so, even when things were edgy between them. But the last time Stefan had gone back to his ripper days was decades ago. And then, he had Lexi who always brought him back to his normal self. _So the note was right…_

Damon gasped as he felt a stake pressed into his arm. _Stefan was stronger too … _

'You thought I wouldn't know about all you've been doing?' voiced Stefan in a menacing tone; 'The people you've been talking to about _me. _Snooping around and trying to find _me_... trying to _save your brother_ are you? You of all people should understand all this. This rush, this excitement- this whole amazing addiction! Getting weak? Can't stand to see me as a "monster"? Or are you just jealous of what I feel right now? ' continued Stefan in a hazy rush.

Damon yanked the stake out and threw it away carelessly as he pried off Stefan from him. Their tussle lasted for a while; idle sentences thrown at each other with no real meaning. Damon couldn't decide how to respond to this kind of Stefan. Stefan wasn't in the mood to really get into a fight; he wasn't trying to actually hurt Damon. He was just trying to throw him off with his erratic behaviour. But what did he want from him exactly?

After a few moments Stefan stopped and took a few steps away from Damon. Damon was unsure of what he was up to now, but as Stefan made hesitant steps towards him, he thought maybe a small part of his normal side came back to him.

'Damon' Stefan uttered as he took long strides towards him.

'Stefan?' Damon said in the same tone as he stood his ground.

Suddenly Stefan took out another stake from his sleeve and plunged it into Damon's chest, dangerously close to his heart.

'You're creating problems for me! Klaus is getting angry… he knows that you're after me… Klaus isn't very happy with what you are doing… If you don't stop I'll have to retaliate… I'll hurt your little friends one by one' snarled Stefan.

'What makes you think I care about them?' choked out Damon, attempting to regain his composure.

'Hmmm…. Well if there is one person you care about it definitely is Elena' spoke Stefan slowly with an evil glint in his eye, 'I'm sure you would _care_ if something happened to her…'

Damon's eyes widened, 'You wouldn't hurt her…'

Stefan grinned, 'Well it's up to you now whether I hurt her or not… Keep out of my way and I _might_ leave her alone… or else if you don't listen to me I'm _definitely_ going after her'.

Stefan sauntered over to Damon, dragging out the stake that was still inside him in a painstakingly slow manner before adding; 'oh and it's not just me you should be worrying about. Klaus will know if you're up to something- he always knows. He has spies. Everywhere'.

And with that Stefan rushed away into the darkness leaving Damon reeling. _What had just happened?_ _What the hell would they do now?_

Damon sluggishly made his way back to the boarding house, the stake's effects still getting to him; and grasped at a blood bag which he drained instantly. Feeling rejuvenated, he formulated a plan of what to do next.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

'I'm impressed Stefan! I didn't think you had it in you' spoke Klaus is an amused tone, as Stefan raced up to him in a secluded section of the forest.

'So I've done what you told me to, let's just get out of here' rushed out Stefan as he peered around the area.

'Not just yet. I still have some work for us to do. There's a werewolf here I want you to meet' said Klaus casually as he aimlessly walked around.

'Wait what, who?' said Stefan with sudden interest.

'All in good time, Stefan. All in good time. But for now I have another gift.' spoke Klaus as he gestured towards a small girl who was cowering behind a somewhat slanted tree.

His questions forgotten, Stefan rushed up towards the girl and drained her dry.

Klaus watched him with glee; _yes Stefan was proving a good wingman. He could trust him. Perhaps now he could tell Stefan why he chose him in the first place... And it was time to have some fun in this town too…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_The next morning…_

'Jer wake up! You have to get to the Grill soon!' spoke Elena as she vigorously shook Jeremy, who was still in bed.

After Jenna had died, things had gotten tight around the Gilbert household. Alaric had basically moved in to their house, but Elena and Jeremy both decided not to rely on him financially. Between them, Elena and Jeremy both got jobs at the Grill; with Elena working less days so that she could keep her focus on her senior year. There was also the trust fund, left to them by their parents, which the two siblings decided to leave for emergencies. Elena wasn't too pleased that Jeremy had to help in making ends meet for their household but lately she was encouraging him in his work. Elena felt that Jeremy was too holed up in his room and that he needed to go out more. Working at the Grill, seemed to be the only thing that brought back the _old_ Jeremy these days. He hadn't quite gotten over all the doom and gloom from the sacrifice all those months ago.

'Jeremy! You're going to be late!' yelled Elena as Jeremy resisted getting out of bed.

Jeremy groaned and lifted the blanket right over his head. He didn't get any sleep that night, courtesy of Vicki and Anna. It was like that many nights actually. The girls would tease, bother and madden Jeremy with their antics at the most inconvenient of times.

'_Jeremy wake up! Listen to your sister! You're going to be late! You wouldn't want that would you now?' spoke Vicki with a much too sickeningly sweet voice; as she sat lying on a chair opposite Elena. _

'_Get up now! You're irritating me!' screeched out Anna in an equally irksome voice. _

'Jeremy I get that you had a late night but you still need to get up!' spoke Elena again, at her wit's end.

'_You're annoying Elena. Do you really want to make her any more upset than you already have? She's been through so much! She shouldn't have to deal with someone as useless as you!' gushed out Vicki sarcastically with a wicked sneer. _

'… _Leave him alone… There's no point talking to him. He'll just ignore you too….' Said Anna with a small sigh. _

_Vicki sharply turned to Anna and the two began to argue over how to deal with Jeremy. _

'Jeremy? Jeremy! Are you even listening to me?' said Elena with an exasperated tone as she started to slap him lightly.

Jeremy groaned, having reached the end of his patience. Between the bicker of his ex-girlfriends and Elena's annoyingly persistent words, he finally lost it.

'LEAVE ME ALONE! Just get lost! Go to hell!' he blasted out without realising that Elena was right in front of him.

Elena gasped and took some steps back. _Did Jeremy really just say that to her?_ Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but Elena just shook her head and gave Jeremy a steely glance.

_Anna turned away whilst Vicki gave a playful pout. 'Now you've made her mad!' she said with evident amusement on her face. _

Jeremy's thoughts were still slightly scattered; he was overwhelmed by the situation entirely. He abruptly got up and rushed past Elena mumbling an excuse of being late. Suddenly, Elena found her courage and followed him to the stairs.

'Jeremy what the hell is wrong with you? What's up with you these days? What's going on?' said Elena with a fiery look in her eyes.

Jeremy stopped short, and looked at her. Her brown doe eyes looked back at him pleadingly as Elena said, 'Please don't shut me out'.

'I'm sorry Elena' was all he said as he turned and left the house. Elena flinched as the front door banged shut.

Elena mechanically made her way down the stairs to see Alaric sipping coffee on the dining table.

'Did you happen to hear…?' began Elena before he gave her a curt nod.

'Listen, Elena…. Jeremy's a good kid. He didn't mean what he said. He's been through a lot… This is probably just a phase he's going through' spoke Alaric to Elena.

'But-' Elena started, only to be interrupted once again.

'He probably doesn't want to talk to you about whatever is going on with him because he doesn't want to hurt you. You've already been through so much; he wouldn't want to burden you with more issues. I don't think you're the person he will talk to about what he's going through' Spoke Alaric as he gazed into the distance.

Elena raised an eyebrow, '… then who do you think has the best chance of getting through to him?'

Alaric gave her a small smile, as he said 'Bonnie'.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

After a few hours working at the Grill, Jeremy could finally take a break. He found Matt lounging at one of the tables aimlessly, as even he finished his day working at the Grill. Matt and him often talked before and after the Grill opened and during breaks. Matt was good company, since he was so unaware of his surroundings, which was a welcome change to Jeremy from his usual associates.

'Hey Matt, what's up man?' spoke Jeremy, eager to talk to someone not involved with all the supernatural drama around him.

'Not much' said Matt with a small shrug as he beckoned him over to a chair opposite him.

'Hey I didn't see you at Elena's party…' began Jeremy awkwardly, waiting for Matt to respond.

'I wanted to come, but I don't really want to surround myself with more things than I can handle' answered Matt.

Continuing (with his voice lowered) he said 'Caroline's a vampire, Tyler's a werewolf. The whole town is full of strange creatures. Even the ones who aren't supernatural are still involved with it somehow… I don't expect you to understand but I just really want to talk to someone about it', finished Matt.

'No I totally get what you're saying! Everything is just so…. Overwhelming sometimes….' Said Jeremy as the two soon started a lively discussion on the matter.

Jeremy found Matt easy to talk to about things like this; Matt was the only one who was treating him _normally. _Eventually when Matt left, Jeremy closed up the Grill to find Vicki leaning against a tree, looking sullenly into the distance. It was the first time Jeremy had seen such vulnerability on her face in her new form. He pondered what brought about the change for a few moments.

Tentatively he took a few steps towards her as he called out her name. She turned towards him and in a moment any flashes of sensitivity on her face were masked with an indifferent expression.

'It's Matt isn't it?' started Jeremy, 'You miss him don't you?'

Vicki looked at Jeremy before speaking up in an expressionless tone '… I was horrible to him… Just horrible… I should've been the one looking after him, not the other way round… He's had so much to go through' she said as traitorous tears started falling from her eyes.

Jeremy inched his way towards her before resting a hand on the tree trunk, just above her head.

'Vicki, Vicki… its ok' he said as he attempted to wrap his hands around her to comfort her, only to have his hands go right through her. She broke down harder when this happened and immediately disappeared, leaving Jeremy thoroughly confused.

Suddenly Anna appeared behind Jeremy, 'Let her go, she just needs time'.

'Did you… miss me when I was _gone?_' asked Anna, her eyes searching across his features intently. Jeremy could tell that this was a question she wanted to ask for a long time.

Jeremy turned, 'I tried to turn into a vampire when I found out you died', he said as his walls came down around her. He had forgotten about how much Anna had meant to him.

'Really?' she asked, as Jeremy was reminded of the Anna he knew before.

'I did love you' said Jeremy with a deadpan expression.

'I did- no still love you even now' said Anna as she walked hesitantly towards him.

'What?' asked Jeremy, visibly surprised by her confession.

'Do you still love me?' She asked, her eyes seeking his beseechingly. Her arm was slightly outstretched him as she waited for an answer.

Jeremy was caught off-guard by her behaviour, and was unsure of how to respond. He never really had any closure from his relationship with Anna. But that was a long time ago. A lot had happened since she died. He had found Bonnie anyway. With some difficulty he choked out a 'no'.

She gasped in shock before disappearing, much in the same manner as Vicki had, leaving Jeremy alone to brood over what had happened.

OOOOOOOOO

Caroline knocked on the door, before straightening out her curls nervously. This was the first time she had seen Tyler since the party and she felt strangely jumpy about meeting him. She was insanely curious about what was going on with Tyler and Becky, but at the same time didn't want Tyler to catch onto her feelings of… _jealousy?_

Tyler promptly opened the door before ushering her inside. They made their way to his bedroom before Caroline plopped herself onto his bed whilst he settled for a chair. He had texted her, saying that he had an urgent matter that he needed to discuss with her.

'There's another full moon coming up' spoke Tyler with a serious tone.

'What? When?' asked Caroline, as she straightened up from her previous more relaxed pose.

'Soon. I need to pick up some supplies for myself… I need to fix up the cellar too but it should be ok by the time the full moon comes around' he spoke with an even gaze towards her.

'You mean _we_, don't you? There is no way I'm going to let you do this by yourself!' said Caroline with a glare thrown towards him.

'Caroline… I don't want to hurt you… I can't put you in danger like that… it would kill me if something happened to you' said Tyler, his voice in a low whisper as his eyes blazed with determination.

She made her way over to him and brought him closer to her in a hug. He immediately relaxed and threw his arms over her in response.

'I know you Tyler, you would never hurt me' she said to him as she locked her eyes onto his. A silence remained between them as they didn't break off from the hug until Caroline immediately stiffened.

'What's wrong?' he asked Caroline, surprised by her action.

'You smell… like perfume… Kind of like the one Becky was wearing last night…' said Caroline as she withdrew her hands and instead crossed them.

'Oh… uh… Becky kind of stayed over last night…' he said in an uneasy tone.

'Oh really? When did she become so important to you? You only met her right when school started!' barked out Caroline as waves of anger radiated off from her.

She turned to leave, when Tyler grabbed her hand.

'It's not like that! She doesn't mean anything to me… She's just a….'

'A what?' said Caroline as she prodded Tyler for answers.

'A… distraction…..' spoke Tyler awkwardly.

'What do you mean a distraction?' asked Caroline, actually curious about what he meant.

Tyler paused before speaking in a hushed tone, 'Lately I've been getting… urges I can't quite control… Becky's been helping me with them'.

Caroline turned a strong shade of red as she grasped at what he was getting at, 'oh my god…. That's…. just …. gross….. Listen I need to go…. I need to…. Process all this… just… I'm sorry… bye'; she said as she quickly left the room and made her way out the door.

Tyler helplessly watched her go before calling out to her at the stairs, 'I thought you would understand! Isn't it the same for vam-, I mean people like you? Caroline?'

Caroline was so shaken up that she collided with a wide-eyed brunette outside. Becky, _just her luck_.

Becky flashed her a ridiculously sweet smile before making her way inside. Caroline groaned, knowing exactly why she was going in. She quickly raced to her car, eager to get away from Tyler.

Meanwhile inside, Carol Lockwood massaged her temples. She had heard snippets of the conversation between Tyler and Caroline as she was in her bedroom herself when Caroline came over. Something was wrong… What was Tyler preparing for? What did Tyler mean 'that she would understand'? And who else were 'people like her'? Carol shook her head and decided to keep an eye on the two of them. There was definitely something up with them….


End file.
